The World Health Organization on Wednesday announced major international trials of three drugs to find out whether they improve the condition of hospitalised Covid-19 patients.
Artesunate, imatinib and infliximab will be tested on thousands of volunteer patients in more than 600 hospitals in 52 countries.
Artesunate is a treatment for severe malaria; imatinib a drug used for certain cancers and infliximab a treatment for immune system disorders such as Crohn’s and rheumatoid arthritis.
The coordinated research across dozens of countries allows the trial to assess multiple treatments using a single protocol, thereby generating robust estimates on the effect a drug may have on mortality, including moderate effects, said the WHO.
The drugs were chosen by an independent expert panel for their potential in reducing the risk of death in hospitalised Covid-19 patients.
